


A Sense of Belonging

by downworldkings (900yearsoftimeandspacce)



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-20
Updated: 2017-12-20
Packaged: 2019-02-17 13:31:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13077900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/900yearsoftimeandspacce/pseuds/downworldkings





	A Sense of Belonging

**Author's Note:**

  * For [djchika](https://archiveofourown.org/users/djchika/gifts).



The sun hits the horizon, and gold splinters the sky. A thousand shades of blue cracked, liquid slipping past the sharp edges, pooling, surrounded. The sun falls again, another fraction of an inch, navy turning to black, growing, pushing the pinks and yellows out of the sky, and the shadows fall farther down the windows, the last of the light glinting on the whiskey in the glass.

Magnus tips the glass toward himself, staring down at the contents, a hint of a smile on his lips as the sun slips beneath the horizon, streams of golden light severed, the sky cast into darkness. He'd seen Luke, met with him to give him a small bottle of potion for one the newest of the pack, and they'd fallen into easy conversation. A simple greeting had turned into sitting down and ordering a drink, and then talking about how the Cabinet meetings were going, what things had been like before. Luke had laughed when Magnus had mentioned the margarita just wasn't what he could make at home, and said he hadn't changed. 

Luke certainly had, and Magnus thought back to the day they met, the tension under which they'd gotten to know one another, the tension that had been always been in Luke's shoulders. And then the end of the war, the Circle underground, the air clear. Magnus still remembered walking into the Hunter's Moon that day and scanning the room for Luke; walking across the well-worn floors and finding a seat at the bar, settling in, ordering a martini and taking the first sip when someone sat down next to him.

For the first time, Magnus saw Luke somewhat relaxed. Small talk had been kept to a minimum, but Luke's eyes were softer than they had been before, his shoulders relaxed, voice more calm than Magnus had ever heard it. 

They'd spoken about Luke's pack, about the direction the then-alpha was going in, repercussions of the war. Magnus, for his part, had listened, sharing with Luke his experience with the current Head of the New York Institute, and how unpromising they seemed. Luke had bowed his head, no longer welcome there, and Magnus had skipped to the part in the conversation where Luke said what he'd come here to say and Magnus emptied his glass.

"At the time, I was surprised you agreed," Luke said, glass half-empty, leaning back against the red fabric of the booth. "After everything that had happened, after everything I'd seen you do - and everything that had been done to you - I guess I expected you to leave. To just pick up and leave - your reputation doesn't always serve you well."

Magnus smiled. "You were no different than anyone else who came to me during the days of the Circle. Well, aside from the fact that you had been a Shadowhunter."

They'd only realized what time it was when Luke's phone dinged with a text from Maia asking if he had the potion, and Luke had left shortly afterward. With his meetings for the day behind him, Magnus had taken his time draining his glass, the taste lingering as he stepped outside into the cold winds and waved his hand, conjuring a portal. 

Dying light cut through the tall windows of the loft as he stepped into the living room, glinting off his long necklaces as he turned, heading down the hallway and opening the door of his study. 

 

* * *

 

Rain fell on New York City in sheets, sweeping across the bustling metropolis and drenching its streets, its buildings, its people. Water streamed through the gutters, dirty and brackish, forming puddles on the road and splashing as cars drove through them, their windshield wipers swinging wildly back and forth. Drivers peered through their windows as people hurried down the streets in old raincoats, carrying umbrellas that kept getting caught in the wind, their dodging puddles although their shoes were either already soaked or waterproof. Noon lights seemed to flicker in the rain, and somewhere, it pounded on a tin roof, the sound drowned out by the squealing of tires and the honking of horns. 

Alec walked with his head down, drawn against the rain, arms crossed against his chest, water falling from his raincoat onto his pants. He walked quickly, dodging puddles and people moving slowly down the sidewalk, thinking of the warmth of home. 

The person in front of him halted abruptly, and in ducking around them, his boot splashed in a puddle, drops of water spraying his pant leg. He ignored it and pressed on, imagining walking into the loft, Magnus, some dry clothes. He reached the door to the building and threw it open, letting it slam closed behind him, and jabbed the elevator button with a great deal of force.

When he finally opened the front door, he took a long, deep breath of warm air, and began taking off his shoes, his coat, and was just beginning to unzip his soaked pants when Magnus appeared in the hallway from his study. Magnus smiled at him, walking over and kissing him softly, wrapping his arms around Alec's neck.

"Caught in the storm, I see?"

Alec smiled at him, his gaze flickering between Magnus’ eyes and his lips. "Yeah. It wasn't this bad when I left though."

Magnus hummed, and Alec leaned in to kiss him. 

"Would you like some tea?"

Alec smiled. "And some dry clothes. Meet me on the couch in five minutes?"

"I suppose I could finish up my work out here." Magnus smiled back at him, his eyes bright. "Yes, I'll meet you on the couch in five minutes." 

Five minutes later, Alec was in a warm sweater and sweatpants, his hands wrapped around a cup of tea, leaning back against the back of the couch. Next to him, Magnus sat with a book open on the coffee table and a small cauldron beside it, the potion inside deep green and bubbling slightly as Magnus dropped a wad of vampire hair into it. And an hour after that, they were both lying under the covers in bed, blanket pulled up to Alec's chin, his head on Magnus' chest, Magnus' arm around him. 

Alec turned his head to press a kiss to Magnus' chest, and against his skin, he whispered, "I love you."

Magnus smiled, and found Alec's hand with his own, intertwining their fingers. "I love you, too."

  
  



End file.
